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Glite Dictionary
Sphyrapicus varius

Sphyrapicus varius

9.9
A woodpecker with a pale yellow belly that drills tree bark for sap and insects
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Sphyrapicus varius
  • The Sphyrapicus varius drills neat rows of holes in tree bark to feed on sap and insects.

Examples

  • Researchers have studied nesting habits of the Sphyrapicus varius in Canadian forests.

  • During migration, birdwatchers often spot the Sphyrapicus varius in mixed woodlands.

  • Look at that Sphyrapicus varius drilling into the tree!

  • What do you know about the Sphyrapicus varius?

  • During migration, birdwatchers often spot the Sphyrapicus varius in mixed woodlands.

  • The Sphyrapicus varius drills neat rows of holes in tree bark to feed on sap and insects.

  • Researchers have studied nesting habits of the Sphyrapicus varius in Canadian forests.

Synonyms

yellow-bellied sapsucker
vsSphyrapicus varius
  • US
1 9.9

A small woodpecker with a pale yellow belly that drills rows of holes in trees to eat sap and insects

is the scientific name for the same species rather than the common name

Surface Forms

Sphyrapicus varius singular
Sphyrapicus varii plural

Morphology

Sphyrapicus + varius

This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic) name rather than a compositional English phrase; a B1 learner who knows the parts would not reliably infer the meaning. Although 'Sphyrapicus' refers to a genus of sapsuckers, the species epithet 'varius' is not an English word and species names are typically opaque to learners without biological/taxonomic knowledge.

Etymology

Sphyrapicus varius may come from old word parts sphyra (a 'hammer') and picus ('woodpecker'), because this bird hammers tree bark to get sap and insects. The second part, varius, means 'varied' and points to its mixed colours and pale yellow belly, so the scientific name describes how the bird looks and acts.